NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls need therapy.
Each time an opportunity presents itself for the front office to move on from their toxic roster, they take a few swigs of Malort and send that infamous “you up” text. Arturas Karnisovas just can’t seem to shake his first true love, and it sure sounds like he’s less than 24 hours away from another moment of weakness.
Chris Haynes reiterated on a B/R Live stream Wednesday that Chicago wants to stay alive in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. More specifically, he commented that the organization believes they can make a surge up the standings post-All-Star break.
“Right now, I’m told, the Bulls are focused on staying competitive, trying to remain competitive in the Eastern Conference,” Haynes said. “They believe they can move up in the Eastern Conference standings … They feel like it’s going to take an incredible haul in a trade package to move a Caruso or a DeRozan.”
I feel like we’ve re-lived this story more times than Phil Connors re-lived Groundhog’s Day. The most discouraging thing about this reported mindset is that it implies the Chicago Bulls believe they are currently competitive. They are 24-27 and sit 9th in the Eastern Conference. Basketball-Reference’s Playoff Probabilities Report gives the team a 22.1 percent chance of making a first-round series.
Sure, the team is only 3.0 games back of the 8th-seeded Orlando Magic and 4.0 games back of the 6th-seeded Indiana Pacers. But does anyone truly believe the Bulls are the superior team? Not to mention, that’s still a sizable gap to make up over the final 31 games of the regular season.
The Bulls are bound for a Play-In Tournament appearance at best, which is embarrassing for a veteran-laden roster that is in Year 3 of its current “win-now” core. Also, it’s not like the Bulls have past success to hang their hat on. If the 11th-seeded Golden State Warriors or 7th-seeded Miami Heat express a belief in their pre-existing roster, it’s different. They have a recent and proven track record to base that decision-making on. The Bulls have one playoff victory since the 2016-17 season. More specifically, this version of the roster has one five-game postseason exit on their resume.
Even worse, Karnisovas and Co. saw precisely one season ago where “remaining competitive” led the Bulls. They were an identical 24-27 through 51 games and opted to stick with their roster through the deadline. After adding Patrick Beverley on the buyout market, they went a surprisingly solid 14-9 to end the regular season … and still lost in the Play-In Tournament.
I want to believe the front office will learn from their mistakes eventually, but I think it’s becoming abundantly clear they don’t believe they’ve made any mistakes. They seem to believe that hovering around the Play-In Tournament is a perfectly acceptable – and “competitive” – place to be. In reality, however, it’s the single worst place a franchise can find themselves year in and year out.
Indeed, the Play-In Tournament is built for young teams trying to prove their worth or banged-up regular season contenders who deserve to be in the postseason picture. The Bulls are neither. They are simply a mediocre basketball team that is currently void of a bright short-term or long-term future. The deadline offers them a chance to change that.
Heck, I’d even accept the front office adding talent at this point. While it wouldn’t at all be my preferred outcome, it would at least represent choosing a clear direction. The Bulls have made ONE trade since the calendar flipped to 2022, which was to acquire 19-year-old Julian Phillips for two second-round picks. In other words, they haven’t made a single in-season trade despite this continued desire to supposedly “remain competitive.” MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!?
The only saving grace I can offer anyone right now is that the trade deadline isn’t until 2:00 p.m. CT on Thursday. As discouraged as I am, there is still time for the front office to surprise everyone and prove they are ready for change. Do I think that will ultimately be the outcome? No. But a boy can dream!
More on the Bulls’ blunders …
